You can only make a valid comparison if you do deaths per 100k employees in the "industry" per annum. The fact is there is no comparison, people join the forces mostly for other reasons than simply it is a job. Yes they expect to get paid but there are easier ways, and we have high levels of employment.

I remember reading a similar study that put trawler fishermen near the top, Fishing 'most dangerous job' not quite like "deadliest catch" (Alaskan crab fishermen) but up there. I think highway workers have a pretty good chance of being killed or seriously injured owing to working environment and hours, and amount of driving in the job, although for years railway workers have had worse stats according to the HSE. The BBC study lists FDOs as the no.3, or is it just because its often the Joss or CWEM..????

Dont know if anyone remembers, but technically our first casualty of the '91 Gulf war was the guy who was driving tanks off a train (in Germany IIRC) and the vehicle antenna caught the catenary and electrocuted him, causing severe burns to his legs. Although he didnt die in theater I think he was reported as a casualty as he was employed in the operation. I know there have been some deaths in Iraq that were industrial accidents or suicide but somehow are lumped into the casualty stats. Bearing in mind the average age of people in service they are far more likely to die from suicide and road accidents than combat operations even in these days of active deployments.